| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

What Does It Mean To Build A Vibrant Community?

ByRoy

JULY 12, 2018  BY STRONG TOWNS “Our country was built on place, built on neighbors, built on people helping each other… I think people are yearning for that again and that’s what a downtown does.”— Quint Studer Quint Studer is the founder of the Studer Community Institute, a nonprofit organization in Pensacola, FL focused on improving…

| | | | | | | | | |

It’s Time to Take the Keys Away from Granddad

ByRoy

June 7, 2018 By Howard Blackson III Today, San Diego is failing to accommodate our growth demands. Due to NIMBY (people who oppose any new building with a “Not In My Backyard” attitude) pressure and fear, only downtown towers and greenfield sprawl sites are far enough away from them to secure any development permits. And these aren’t…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

World Class Urban Design & Economic Development Education

ByRoy

CityBuilding Express #CBX2018 Why spend 4 days on a tour bus with 50 mayors, developers, city council members, staff planners, supervisors, city managers, urban designers, town architects, economic development experts? For the annual CityBuilding Express (#CBX2018) event of course! There is never a dull moment with this inquisitive outspoken crowd! Nathan Norris photo Riding with 50…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Economic Stability Is An Urban Design Response To Social Justice

ByRoy

by Howard Blackson – February 20, 2017 Times they are a’changing. We all hear that the New Urbanism has a gentrification/displacement perception problem in big city discussions. One of New Urbanism’s revolution was in shifting the 60s/70s planning by numbers approaches to city issues towards a design-oriented solutions. And, our anti-modernist stance in the ‘90s…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Comeback planned for commercial corridor

ByRoy

It’s time for the City of Oxnard to begin to think about how to fix Oxnard Boulevard and Saviers Road. While Oxnard’s main streets have been a state highway for years, now our main streets are waiting to become walkable places that generate economic development for Oxnard. The following article is an example of how…

| | | | | |

Chronic Understaffing (Oxnard Planners) and Economic Development

ByRoy

June 28, 2018 – minor edit and update While I have been discussing the lack of planners in Oxnard…the real issue is chronic understaffing and Economic Development. Oxnard cannot develop economically without enough qualified planners (chronic understaffing) to carry the workload. Oxnard needs 20 to 25 planners but currently has only 7 or 8 staff planners. How can…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

The Evolution of Urban Planning

ByRoy

Urban planning has been around for as long as cities have existed, but the 20th century saw a number of bold ideas that radically changed the make-up of our urban centers. From garden cities to psychogeography, today’s infographic by Konstantin von der Schulenburg is an informative overview of the modern movements and ideas that shaped urban planning….

| | | | | | |

The Walls We Won’t Tear Down

ByRoy

By RICHARD D. KAHLENBERGAUG. 3, 2017  CreditGolden Cosmos ONE hundred years ago, in a major advance for human dignity, the Supreme Court struck down a racial zoning law in Louisville, Ky., that prohibited nonwhites from moving into homes in majority-white areas. Laws like these, which existed in numerous cities at the time, are part of…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

My Transit Density Bill (SB 827): Answering Common Questions and Debunking Misinformation

ByRoy

by Scott Wiener Jan 16, 2018 Our recent announcement of my bill (Senate Bill 827) allowing for more housing near public transportation has drawn a lot of attention, questions, and feedback. Sadly, some have also spread misinformation about the bill. This piece attempts to answer common questions and debunk misinformation. California is in a deep housing crisis — threatening…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

25 Solutions From A Builder’s Perspective To Fix The California Housing Crisis

ByRoy

It is more difficult today than it has ever been to bring new housing units to this state, but it shouldn’t be. Editorial by @HOUSINGFORLA on January 10, 2018, 12:00PM photos by HUNTER KERHART The California housing crisis is damaging our very existence. Homelessness is higher than any point during my lifetime. High housing costs are a drag…